The Subplot in the Storyline
by WaitedLongEnough
Summary: What was really going on with Booth and Brennan? How has their relationship changed? This story fills in the gaps between "The Hole in the Heart" and "The Change in the Game".
1. Chapter 1

**The Subplot in the Storyline**

_**Chapter 1 - The New Normal**_

Booth groaned at the sound of the alarm clock, opened his eyes and looked at the ceiling. He immediately sensed something was different before his mind caught up and began replaying memories of the night before. He remembered the feel of her bare skin, her whispers in his ear, her legs wrapped around him. Fear gripped him. Everything had been turned on its head. What if she can't take it? What if she's gone? In an effort to keep the thoughts from becoming reality, for a moment he hesitated to move. Then slowly, he turned to his left and saw her. He released the breath he'd been holding and relaxed. He didn't want to wake her but he had to touch her to make sure he wasn't dreaming. As he ran his hand up her uncovered arm, she stirred slightly. A slight smile spread over his face and suddenly everything was right with the universe.

"Bones," he whispered as he moved closer and wrapped his arms around her.

"Hmm… " she answered softly. She scooted back slightly to snuggle more into his embrace.

"We've got to get up."

"Why?" She sighed.

"Bad guys to catch."

He was telling her the truth. They did need to get up. Broadsky was still out there and he needed to stop him by any means necessary. Vincent's death was senseless. He was an innocent man, and his random shooting was as wrong as any soldier on the battlefield. Broadsky had hurt his family and now he had to pay. He knew he needed to get up, get dressed and get his head in the game, but at the moment he couldn't bring himself to unwrap his body from his partner.

"You're not moving," she said as she turned over to look in his eyes. The moment their eyes met his mind went into overdrive. Conceptually, he was having a hard time understanding what was happening. This was strange. He was waking up with Bones. In his bed. Under his covers. Naked. He was shaken for a minute as he tried to digest the new reality. She read his face and smiled.

"I know."

"Did this really happen?"

"It did," the smile faded and she studied his face for a moment. "Are you okay? Do you want to forget it happened?"

"Forget? Oh hell no, this might be the happiest moment I've had since Parker entered the world."

The smile swiftly came back to her face and she reached up to trace the furrow in his brow. Booth bent in and began kissing his way down her neck. When he stopped, she looked at him.

"What are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said. How are we going to operate now?"

"The same way we've always operated. We're partners. We catch bad guys. You do your thing in the lab. I do my thing in the street. And at the end of the day, we have a life together."

"So you have it all figured out, right?"

"As a matter fact I do."

"Says the man that freaked out when he realized last night wasn't a dream."

"Only for a moment, honey… Only for a quick moment…" He said playfully tapping her on the shoulder.

Brennan grabbed his hand and kissed his palm.

"Quiet as it's kept, I had a little more time. I woke up in the middle of the night and worked through my issues," she said as a big grin stretched across her face.

"When are you going to tell Angela?"

"You're assuming I am."

"Aren't you? Come on Bones. If you don't, she'll waterboard it out of you."

"Ha… She does have that weird sixth sense. I'll tell her when we catch the bad guy."

"Speaking of…" Booth threw the covers off of him and put his feet on the floor. "We have to get up and get moving."

"Agreed," she said rolling over to Booth's side of the bed. She rose up on her knees behind him, put her arms around him, and kissed him on his neck. Her hands slowly ran up his bare chest. "But we have to get in the shower first…"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2 – Coming Clean**_

Brennan had been distracted all day. She was flipping between the sadness she felt over Vincent's death and the happiness she was feeling about what happened between she and Booth last night…and in the shower this morning. She knew she needed to really focus, but every 10 to 20 minutes her mind would wander. They'd agreed that she wouldn't tell Angela until after Broadsky was caught, but Brennan knew if she saw her she would spill like Niagara Falls. Her best friend really had a knack for getting information out of people with little to no effort. Brennan's plan was to avoid her like the plague. She'd been succeeding pretty well but it was getting later in the day so soon Angela would have a search party out. Her last ditch effort was to hide by doing some research in the bone room. When Angela waddled in, she knew the jig was up.

"What is going on? Is this about Vincent?" Angela waited with her head tilted.

Brennan straightened up from the examination table and shifted on one leg.

'"Yes… and I got into bed with Booth last night…" She waited. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Angela resisted the urge to jump up and down, mainly because she was pretty sure she was way too big to accomplish the lift off.

"Because I don't want to yell hallelujah so close to losing Vincent!"

"I think I did it because of Vincent."

"Wait…what exactly happened after you…after you crawled into bed with Booth?" Angela asked, trying to contain her excitement. Brennan slowly smiled.

Suddenly, a focused Hodgins barreled through the door.

"I got the GC Maspet results on the bullet that killed Vincent…" He said as he grabbed a bottle from the sink behind them.

"Honey, no. Not right now. I'm sorry. I love you but go tell Cam. Go… Away… AWAY!" Angela yelled.

He was completely confused, but he did what he was told and hurried out of the room.

"Now… I want details." She said grabbing Brennan's shoulder and ushering her into the seats next to wall.

"I don't know… I was sleeping on the couch. I started dreaming about Vincent telling me that he didn't want to leave, and I woke up at around 4 am. I couldn't go back to sleep because I couldn't think of anything but him begging me to stay. "

"I'm sorry, sweetie." Angela put her hand on Brennan's arm.

"I needed to talk so I walked into Booth's bedroom, and woke him up. He, of course, told me that Vincent wasn't talking to me. He was talking to God or the Universe because he just wasn't ready to go. Then, I asked him if I could stay with him, and he told me that was what he was there for, wrapped his arms around me, and held me."

"Sweetie, I love you, but PLEASE get to the good stuff."

"I guess we kind of nodded off to sleep for a moment because I woke up wrapped in his arms. He was hugging me so tight that all of the sudden I didn't care about anything. I just wanted to kiss him. So I did. I just stretched up and kissed him on his neck. Then, I kissed him on his cheek. And when he woke up, I really kissed him."

"Oh, My God…" Angela grinned from ear to ear. "I can't stand it. FINALLY! So…don't stop there. Did you actually do the deed?"

"If you're asking if we had sex, yes, we had sex." Brennan tilted her head down with only a little embarrassment.

"And…?"

"What do you mean and…?"

"Was it good?"

"Angela!"

"Oh stop… don't act like we haven't had this kind of conversation before."

"But it's Booth…"

"Which makes it even more important. Especially, since you guys have been dancing around each other for years. Well?"

"Ok…yes. It was actually amazing," she paused and smiled. "So amazing we did it again this morning."

"Well hot dog! Now… THAT is news! I want to do flips but the kid won't allow it." Angela leaned closer to her friend. "Are you happy?"

"I think I am." Brennan stood up, walked to the examination table, grabbed the file on the ledge and opened it. "And now, we've got to get Broadsky off the street so the rest of us are safe."

"My thoughts exactly." Booth said as he suddenly entered the room carrying a cell phone and a list of Port properties. Angela and Brennan exchanged knowing looks. "What?" He said as he looked at the both of them.

Angela slowly rose from the chair. "I'm going to get on that right now, but first I need to find my husband and reassure him that my yelling had nothing to do with him." As she waddled out of the room, Booth looked at Brennan.

"So you couldn't hold it, huh?"

"What do you mean?" She said as she suddenly got very busy organizing the bones on the table.

"Don't even try it. You told her about last night."

"Ok…but she forced it out of me."

"I'm sure she did…" Booth moved closer to her, looked around quickly, and kissed her on her forehead. "I can't wait to bag this guy so we can spend some more time together." He whispered.

She quickly squeezed his hand. "I'm so looking forward to that." She whispered back.

"I think we can get him at the port. He's not as smart as he thinks he is."

"Well, what are you standing here for? " She said.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3 – Slow and Steady**_

Booth and Brennan walked through the loading dock doors arm in arm.

"I'm glad it's over," She said as they entered the hallway. She reluctantly unwrapped her arm from his. He looked at her and tried to repress his desire to kiss her in the hallway. With the exception of Angela, the squints had no idea what was going on between the two of them and for awhile he wanted to keep it that way.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Past ready…" She said. "Let me grab some files I need for tomorrow and I'll meet you out front."

As she turned on her heel and moved quickly towards the elevator, he couldn't keep himself from wondering when the other shoe would drop. He was happy. He'd gotten what he wanted, but they'd finally come together too easily. There was no pomp and circumstance, no heavy drama, just them alone offering and accepting. Over the past five years, they'd been dealing with too challenging a dance for it to end with no fireworks. There was no way it would last for long.

"Booth," Angela appeared suddenly, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hey… you okay?" He said, reaching into his pocket for his car keys.

"Yeah, it's still hard to believe, but I think I'll be okay. I'm just glad you caught the bastard." She said touching him on his arm.

"Good. I know it will take some time, but we'll all get there. Vincent didn't deserve any of this." He nodded at her and began walking toward the garage.

"Take it slow." Angela suddenly said to his back. He quickly turned around, puzzled.

"What?"

"I said take it slow."

Booth walked back towards her. "Interesting advice…"

"Before you say anything, I know it's none of my business. I just don't want anything to throw you guys off course." She said quickly.

"And you think that's possible?"

"Not on purpose. I just know you've loved her for a long time, Booth. And I know you'll want to go full speed ahead now. She's not completely ready for that yet."

"She's changed, Angela. We wouldn't be where we are right now if she hadn't."

"You're right. She has but her natural tendencies are still there. She's fighting against them because she wants to be with you. I'm just saying be careful."

A small confident smile spread across Booth's face. "I can do that." He said.

"Good. Just know I'm cheering on the side lines."

"Goes without saying, Ang. I think we've always known that you were in our corner." He moved closer to her and quickly kissed her on the cheek. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make your best friend happy."

She grabbed his arm and looked at him. "I never worry about that."

He smiled, twirled his keys on his finger, nodded and began his journey down the short hallway to his car once again.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4 – Jumping In**_

"Are you awake?" Brennan ran her hand down Booth's arm. They'd fallen asleep in a spoon. His arms were tightly wrapped around her and he was breathing in her hair. He stirred but didn't answer.

"Booth?" She said playfully and tried to move to rise out of the bed. Suddenly, Booth's arms tightened and he locked her in place.

"Where are ya going?" He said in her ear.

"So you are awake."

"A little…" He smiled.

"I'm hungry. I was going to see if you actually had food in the pantry."

"I don't know if I like the slight doubt I hear in your voice. It's possible that I have breakfast like items. I do eat," He said kissing her on her cheek. "Stay put. I'll handle it." He kissed her again, slid out of the bed and walked toward the bathroom.

Brennan rolled to her back and stretched. She and Booth had been alternating between both of their residences for two months. They hadn't spent a night alone since Vincent's death finally brought them together. She was amazed at how easily they'd moved from close friends to lovers. There was no awkward period of adjustment. They both had just jumped in with both feet. Something so opposite to her natural tendency to analyze everything she was wondering if she was still herself. The thing was with Booth she was more herself than she'd ever been. His love was the catalyst for her really looking at herself and how she operated in the world. Her wanting his love back caused her to try to change. She saw him changing too. He wasn't pushing her. He was living in the moment and appreciating what they had right now. She found herself loving him more because of it.

"Bones!" Booth shouted from the kitchen. "Not only do I have breakfast but pancakes are on the menu. You're getting your first introduction to my cooking skills today."

As he spoke, she heard pots and pans crashing. Reluctantly, she rose up, put her feet on the floor and headed towards the bathroom.

Booth turned the oven on and smiled. He was cooking breakfast for Bones, and it was the best feeling in the world. He poured pancake batter in the pan and moved mail from the kitchen table.

"Hey…you coming?" He shouted.

"Right here," she said, stepping into the kitchen. She quickly moved behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "Good morning."

"Good morning," Booth turned in her arms and kissed her neck. "Sit down right here and we'll get you fed." He pulled the chair out from the table and pointed.

"Wow… I do have to say I'm a little shocked. I don't think I've ever witnessed you cook anything."

"Well, it's not a hobby, but I will do it for special people." He said winking at her. He slid two pancakes on to a plate, grabbed the syrup and placed both in front of her. "Let me know what you think."

She popped the top of the syrup bottle and slowly covered the fluffy bread with the sugary liquid. Booth plopped down with his own plate and poured coffee into two green mugs. Brennan loaded her fork and placed a perfect bite in her mouth. He waited.

"Fabulous," she said as she grinned at him. Booth smiled back, took a sip of coffee, and dove into his plate.

Booth's cell buzzed. He jumped up, took a few quick steps across the room and grabbed the small device.

"Booth… How long? Are the witnesses still at the site? Yeah… I'll pick her up on the way." He hung up and looked at her. "A body was found at the Corbin Bowling Alley during a kid's birthday party. Came down in the pin setter."

"Ok. I'll call Cam." She ate her last bite and stood as she swallowed the last drop of her coffee.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5 - Discovery**_

Brennan blinked and looked at the stick. She examined it with the focus she usually reserved for bones, turning it one way and then the other, trying to outline all the possibilities. She put it down and stared at the ceiling. Wow. She'd only picked the test up to take pregnancy off the table. She knew she'd had some stress lately with Vincent's death and the new order of things so she figured the absence of her period was her body trying to adjust. It never crossed her mind that she might actually get a positive. She washed her hands, opened the bathroom door and walked to her office. Closing the door behind her, she dialed her OB-GYN. She needed to know for sure before she believed it, and blew both of their worlds wide open.

…

Her cell phone rang, interrupting her thoughts as she walked quickly toward the diner to meet Booth and her father. Her appointment was tomorrow, and she was trying hard to focus on the case.

"Angela, are you in labor? Is it time? I can grab a cab and be there in 5 minutes." She answered.

"No, no, nothing has happened unfortunately. What are you up to?" Angela slowly rose from her position on Brennan's couch.

"I'm going to meet Booth and my dad about this murder case. I wish you would go into labor." She knew how ready Angela was to have her body back and meet her child. She'd been anxiously awaiting her due date. The idea that she would have to wait any longer really made Brennan sad.

"Yeah… me and you both."

"The Suni Indians believe that labor could be hastened by silence."

Angela smiled. "Did Hodgins tell you to tell me that?"

"For some reason, I find it difficult to concentrate on anything else." Babies, labor and due dates had been hovering in her mind all morning long. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get the image of her with a pregnant belly out of her mind.

"Well, it's probably because you're a very good friend."

Brennan sighed. "Yes, probably… I'm here, Ang."

"I know you are, sweetie. That's why I love you."

"Oh…no. I mean I'm at the diner." She said looking through the window at two of the three men her life that would fight for her without a second thought.

"Oh…right." Angela said. Brennan hung up the phone and hurried in.

The undercover idea was a good one. They'd go in as a couple and Booth would enter the tournament on the Thunderbolts team. As they worked out details, Max wouldn't stop looking at the both of them suspiciously. Booth was doing everything he could to deflect but her father was picking up on a vibe they didn't even know they were giving. Their only hope was to continue trying to act like nothing had changed.

…..

"Yep, Dr. Brennan, you are pregnant." Dr. Coolidge said standing in the middle of the examination room, looking at her lab results. "Congratulations."

Brennan shook her head, "Really?"

"There's no doubt. You're due in March."

She coughed nervously, "Wow."

"So this is something you weren't expecting?"

"I think you could say that." She slid off the examination table and stood on her feet.

"I assume you know who the father is."

"Oh definitely. It's just going to be as much of a shock to him as it is to me."

"Well, good luck." Dr. Coolidge said extending her hand. "We'll schedule your follow up appointment for next week."

The door closed behind the doctor and Brennan began getting dressed. She'd get through this case first and then tell Booth. She didn't want to throw him off his game, and this news would definitely need some time to swallow.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6 – Undercover**_

Booth and Brennan moved through their undercover duties effortlessly. The only issue was they were so on guard in Max's presence that they'd forgotten to show the affection they should be showing as a couple. When Max mentioned the problem, they accidentally fell out of character for a moment. Booth wrapped his arms around Brennan's waist and pulled her into a kiss on the cheek. She immediately smiled and playfully pushed him away. Max caught it, eyed Booth and shook his head.

As soon as they discovered the murderer, they hurried to the hospital to support Angela and Hodgins. She'd gone into labor while they were working the case and Brennan felt awful that she hadn't been there to hold her hand. As the team sat in the waiting room in expectation of the baby's arrival, all Brennan could think about was she would be in the same situation soon. She hugged the stuffed bunny in her hands, and imagined their baby. What would it be? How would it change their lives? She knew Booth would be a great dad, but would she be a good mom? Booth sat across the room, and looked at her. He felt like something had been off with her since yesterday. He just couldn't quite put his finger on it. He made a mental note to ask the question tonight.

Suddenly, the door swung open and Hodgins appeared with a tiny head covered with a tiny cute baby hat. "Everybody, I would like you to meet my son, Michael Staccato Vincent Hodgins." He said carefully holding the boy and smiling down at him.

After getting a quick glance, Brennan slipped inside the door to find her friend's room.

"Hi…" Angela welcomed her with a huge smile.

"Hi, what was it like?" She said apprehensively. Angela was beaming now, but she'd heard her screaming like she was dying about 2o minutes before. The sound made her more than a little nervous about giving birth herself.

"It was wonderful and beautiful. It was a dream." She said. Brennan released the stuffed bunny from her tight hug and handed it to her friend.

"Look at this guy…" She said happily.

"It's from Booth, too."

Angela's beaming face stirred something in her. She wondered if the "mother" instinct she hadn't quite tapped into at this early stage would just come later, closer to when she was actually ready to welcome their baby into the world. Angela had moved from single, free spirit to married mother in the blink of an eye. Maybe it wasn't as difficult as she thought it would be.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7 – Shock and Awe**_

As they navigated the DC streets, Booth walked beside her wondering when she would tell him why she'd been so quiet over the past couple of hours. He knew something was wrong, but he also knew she would tell him when she was ready.

Finally, she filled the silence. "They look so happy," she said. He picked up a hint of amazement in her voice.

"Yeah, they have a baby," he said.

"Their whole lives have changed. You'd think they'd be a little more apprehensive."

"Well, you know having a baby…that's a good thing."

"You really think that?" Brennan turned her head to read his face.

"Yeah, it's a great thing," he stopped, turned to look at her and saw the worry on her face. "What? Aww come on, Bones… Look, a baby…the baby's fine. It's healthy. They had a healthy baby. They love each other. This is the happiest day of their lives." He paused, "What?"

Brennan nervously switched feet and tried to speak. The words didn't come the first time so she tried again. "I'm… pregnant. You're the father." She heard Booth's sharp intake of air and waited.

He looked at her while he absorbed the news. Only a couple of seconds passed before a slow grin spread across his face. Brennan smiled back, relieved at his happiness.

He quickly closed the gap between them and hugged her tight. His arms lifted her off the pavement and he whirled her around. When he put her feet back on the ground, he gently grabbed both sides of her face and kissed her slowly. When their lips parted, he rubbed his cheek against her face and whispered in her ear.

"I love you."

She pulled back from his embrace to look at him. "So you want to keep it?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I?" His eyebrows furrowed.

"Because this is new, because you already have a child, and mostly because it just changes EVERYTHING," she said.

"Well, you're right…this is definitely not going slow," he joked. "But seriously, what is really new about us? We've been together one way or another for years now."

"Yeah… but not like this. We haven't even settled into this new dynamic yet."

"Are you getting cold feet?"

"No, it's not that. It's just… how will this fit?"

"I don't know. We'll be like normal people. We'll take a short leave when the baby is born. We'll hire a babysitter when we're solving cases. We'll come home and be a family."

"What does that mean?"

"What do you mean what does that mean?" Booth looked confused.

"What does 'be a family' mean to you?" she said looking into his eyes. Brennan had an idea but she wanted him to say it just in case she was wrong. The answer was going to be their main argument in trying to make this new situation work.

"Ok…so I know you're looking at me like that because you expect me to say marriage. Here's your surprise. I'm okay with us just being together. It seems that I've changed my position on that a little more than I realized. Here's the deal…I've asked two women to marry me that I didn't really love. I would have gone through with it, but I think maybe I did it to seal the relationship, prove in some way that there was love. That's just not necessary with us. It's already there. I know I won't leave you, and I'm pretty sure you won't leave me," he winked at her and smiled.

"That is surprising."

"I know... shocked myself with that."

"So you're ready to just be together and raise this child? No legal, binding contracts attached?"

"Yes. We don't need them."

Brennan stepped forward and kissed him softly. "I'm still scared to death, but this time I'll rely on your faith."

"Wow…another shocker." He smiled, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. When he released the hold, they turned and Brennan wrapped her hands around his arm. They began walking again and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Besides," Booth said as he guided her off the sidewalk to cross the street. "I know you'll breakdown and marry me eventually."

"Yeah, right…" she smiled, pulling herself closer. "in your dreams…"


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8 – Group Therapy**_

Hodgins hit his wine glass softly with his fork to get everyone's attention.

"Ok…so… we'd like to thank everyone for all of their support during our pregnancy. Especially, these last couple of months," he began. The team had gathered together at Founding Fathers for what the couple was calling a "post-baby" celebration. With the Broadsky case and Vincent's death, the baby shower that was originally planned for Angela had been canceled. Time had gotten away from everyone and by the time Cam began thinking about reserving another room, little Michael arrived.

Angela, a hater of most traditional customs, was not bothered in the least, but Hodgins insisted that they at least have something to celebrate their new bundle of joy. He just didn't know it would take them at least three months to get a handle on things at home.

Hodgins continued. "Your support, encouragement, and understanding has been a great comfort, and we just want to take this time to tell each of you how much you mean to us. We knew the transition would be…"

Angela interrupted her husband, "We love you. You've been great. That's all. Now, drink!" She said lifting her wine glass filled with sparkling grape juice.

Brennan smiled, looked across the table at Booth, and sipped her cranberry juice slowly. In order to make sure she wasn't exhibiting any suspicious behavior, she'd gone to the bar and loudly asked for a vodka and cranberry. Then she quickly angled her body and quietly told the bartender to cut the vodka. Their relationship was still under wraps, but the clock was ticking. She was at the end of her first trimester so soon she would be showing. They'd agreed that they would make the announcement together, but at this point, they were waiting on the right time. Angela didn't even know. A fact that Brennan was sure would be a point of contention as soon as the secret was out.

Booth caught her eyes and leaned back, pulling his cell phone out under the table. Her cell buzzed.

"Do u want to do it now?" She read. Quickly, she looked back up at him like he was insane and then tried to cover the reaction.

"Do u?" she typed.

"Sure, why not? Everyone is here." He typed back.

Brennan picked up her glass and downed a huge gulp to calm her nerves. When she met Booth's eyes again, they were asking for confirmation. She nodded slowly. He didn't hesitate.

"Hi…. Hello… could I get your attention please?" his voice rose above the multiple conversations and they slowly stopped as the team turned to give him their full attention. "Since everyone is here, I have some news." Brennan placed her hands on the table and waited.

A big grin spread across Booth's face.

"It feels a little weird to be announcing this so formally but I think you should know that Bones and I are together. We're a couple."

Hodgins watched a grin immediately hit his wife's face, and turned to her in shock. "You knew? Oh… I can't believe you've been sitting on this information…" . Angela gave him her "sorry" look.

"Wow… that is news," Cam said, putting her wine glass down on the table. "Congratulations."

Brennan sat still as the rest of the team digested the new information. Sweets crossed the room and laid both hands on her shoulders. "I for one am thrilled! But how did it finally happen? I've been trying to get you two together for years now."

"I think it was just time, Sweets." She said, surveying the room. The nervous energy left her, instead of shock she only saw the smiling, encouraging faces of their friends.

"I just don't know how I should feel about my skills now," he said walking around to put his hand on Booth's shoulder. "I mean… I've had you in therapy and written a book. Neither one moved the needle. Now, you tell me it was just time."

Booth laughed, "Well Sweets, you know the universe works in mysterious ways, which brings me to the rest of our news…"

He stopped talking for a moment to get his thoughts together. Brennan took the opportunity to take the pressure off and jump in.

"We're pregnant." She said quickly. Her eyes darted to Angela's face first.

"You're pregnant?" Angela crossed the room to look directly at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't really know how at first. Then, we wanted to wait the standard three months."

"Wow…" Sweets said slowly and stood frozen.

"You're going to have a baby…" Cam repeated in shock and sat down at the table.

"Yep, Parker is going to have a little brother or sister." Booth said smiling. "I know we've hit everyone with a lot at one time, but we felt like it was time to come clean."

"I should say so. You guys know how to keep a secret." Cam replied.

He chuckled, "Well… I mean I am an FBI agent."

Brennan laughed. Finding the humor in any situation was one of the things that was definitely on her list of "traits she appreciated about Booth". He'd taught her how to find the one funny thing about any situation. Present situation included. While one could look at this as a completely strange, scary turn of events, Booth looked at it as an opportunity for a brand new beginning.

Instead of getting annoyed that more than one time during her second month of pregnancy she'd had the sudden urge to throw up when he kissed her, he'd just followed her to the bathroom and held her hair while she did it. Then, asked her to explain the anatomical reason for morning sickness….in laymen's terms. The more time they spent as a couple the more she wondered why she'd been fighting the move so hard. It wasn't a disaster. He hadn't asked her to be more than she was, and her heart was more open than she'd realized. It was strange to her that she'd even imagined having a baby without him being by her side.

Booth walked behind her, wrapped both of his arms around her neck and kissed her on the cheek.

"I just can't tell you how happy I am that we're right here," he told the group. "It's been a really quick journey but it's exactly where I've wanted to be for years." Brennan locked eyes with Angela and smiled.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9 – Changing Locations**_

Booth stood up as he heard his apartment door closed.

"I've been trying to be cool, but I have to put my foot down on this." Booth began. Brennan walked into the living room and placed her overnight bag on the floor. She'd just come from her place after going home for just one night so she could make sure no one had moved in.

"This doesn't make sense. Logically…. I mean, for you or me to worry about another residence when we're spending most of our time together at one place anyway." This had been eating at him for a couple of weeks, but he didn't know how to bring it up and not push her into defense mode. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. The couple of nights they spent apart were just strange to him at this point. He missed her presence even in his sleep. He tossed and turned and just couldn't get comfortable without feeling her body next to him.

"Booth, we agreed…" She started.

"I know we agreed, but that was in concept. We didn't really know what we were talking about. I mean… WHY should we take ourselves through the extra complications? You've got to pack a bag. Then I've got to pack a bag. Just to say we have our own places?"

Brennan slowly moved across the room and plopped down on the couch. Immediately, she moved the pillows to the right of her pregnant belly so she could lean more comfortably.

"Do you realize how complicated it's going to be to even try to combine our things? You'd have to throw out half of your sports memorabilia to make room for my books." She said.

"My sports…? Why can't we just get a larger place? We could use one with the baby coming."

"Hmm… that's not a bad idea…"

"And… we could move closer in to both offices so we have a shorter commute…" Booth added.

"That would also be better. But wait, are you tricking me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you really just trying to make me depend on you?"

"Of course not," Booth looked at her. "You don't DEPEND on me now, do you?" He knew what her answer would be, as well as he knew she'd be lying.

"No, I mean I like that you're here, but I wouldn't fall apart without you. You know that."

"Sure…, but you do know that I depend on you, right?"

Brennan sat quietly and considered the statement. She didn't want to do anything without him these days, but that didn't mean she'd fall apart if for some reason he walked away, did it?

"Not really, do you? No one really depends on anyone. They get used to them being there and don't really imagine them not being there, but if they disappear all the sudden, people pick up where they left off. I've done that before."

"Yes, but they are not the same. Take myself for example, I can live without you being here, yes. But do I want to? No. Absolutely not. I miss you when you're gone. Even when you're gone for one night. You don 't have to tell me, but I know you feel it too."

Brennan sighed. He kind of had her on that one. She would lie about it if pressed but she knew that she now hated sleeping without him. She liked the noises he made, the way his arms automatically reached out and pulled her in at night. She decided to give in.

"Ok. We'll get another place." She said looking up at him. Booth smiled. He was a little shocked. He'd won. That was unexpected especially after only one discussion. This was her way of saying that she did depend on him. His plan was working.

"What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing. I'll call around to check out apartments tomorrow." He said bending down to kiss her on the cheek.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10 – Daddy Drama**_

"So what are your intentions with my daughter?"

Booth laughed and almost spit the orange juice he'd been drinking out on the table. "Excuse me…?"

He'd met Max to get his insight on a gambling ring that was part of a case he and Bones were working on. She'd decided to go straight to the lab. She was seven months now, and it was getting harder for her to run around as much as she used to. He had strict orders to bring an egg and cheese sandwich, hash browns and pancakes to her office as soon as he could.

"You heard what I said… what are your intentions?" Max repeated.

"Come on… Don't you think it's a little late for you to be having this kind of discussion with me?"

"Granted. But I do need to have it. Are you planning on marrying her or what?" Max leaned back in his chair, and took a sip of his coffee. He gave Booth his "I want an answer" stare.

"Ok, Max. I'll entertain you. I want to marry her, but you know your daughter. She's not the jump at marriage type. If you know what I mean…" Booth grabbed a piece of bacon and stuffed it into his mouth. Max had slowly been building his "father" status back with Bones. It had taken a little over three years, but she now cared about what he had to say, and wanted his approval. Booth on the other hand still had a slight grudge against him for taking his daughter through all that he had. He couldn't make himself trust him completely no matter how hard he tried.

"Oh please… Spare me the defeatist attitude. I knew you wanted her when I first met you. That's why I was trying hard not to hurt you," He paused and smiled. "I didn't like you, but I was almost certain that you wouldn't let anyone hurt her. That I could respect. You waited a long time to get her. Now, you have her and you don't want to close with the brass ring? You're kidding me, right?"

"Quiet as it's kept, Max. Your daughter isn't that easy to tie down. I know she loves me. I know she doesn't want to be without me. She's having my kid. But I'm fairly certain, she will not want to be locked down in the 'institution of marriage'." Booth made air quotes and leaned back in his chair.

"She always sits in logical land, right? Make a logical, rational argument for it." Max didn't want to tell him, but he loved that his daughter had finally stopped getting in her own way and opened her heart to Booth. He liked his character, his sense of fairness. And he knew that he would jump in front of a bullet for Temperance. That was enough for him.

"Right… , only there is no rational, logical reason for us to get married. It doesn't really change anything. We're living together. We're committed to each other. We're starting a family. It's just a legal binding contract that has more to do with property and rights than anything else. At least that's what she'll say. I, on the other hand, just want the world to know she's mine. Simple as that."

"Well, tell her that."

"Oh sure, that will go over well. Do you even know your daughter? She really doesn't do well with anything that even hints at possession. Even in the most well meaning kind of way."

"Yeah, I know who she is and worse, I also know the part her mother and I played in it." Max said, as a wave of sadness visibly hit him. "And… I know what you have done to reverse that pain, show her she's worthy of love that won't go away. Make no mistake about it. She's understands now. She has a hard time naming it, but deep down she feels the tie. Trust me. She'll come around. It's just the last piece of the puzzle she has to put together."


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11 – A Familiar Face**_

Booth nearly tripped on the small truck that sped by as he entered the cramped Babies "R" Us aisle. A little boy appeared from around the corner and nearly bumped into him running to catch it as it slammed into a huge stuffed bear sitting against the wall. He shook his head, and looked back at Brennan. She was in the educational aisle putting ever y science and math related early learning toy into their cart.

"So you're going to spend all of our money on geek toys?" He said. He picked up a teddy bear and held it in the air. "We do have to leave some room for cuddly, stuffed things."

"Cuddly, stuffed things don't encourage critical thinking." She said matter of factly, pulling a "baby's first computer" down from the fourth shelf. She turned it upside down to read the summary, but it slipped out of her hands and hit the floor. Booth watched for a moment as she considered picking it up and thought better of it. Then, she glared at him for not moving fast enough. He walked towards her quickly and rescued the device from the floor.

"A kid's got to have silly things, Bones. You can't just expect the child to write a dissertation at 6 months old."

Brennan smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I know, but I do want our baby to be challenged intellectually. Think about it this way, our genes together guarantee an extremely bright, strong, funny, street-smart, wise, logical, attractive son or daughter. I just want to be sure the intellect part is cultivated."

"Ok, so that automatically puts me in the cultivating personality camp. I can't have my kid getting teased for no social skills. As my first official duty, I demand that we buy Mr. Sock T Pus here." He grabbed the stuffed octopus, jostled it in the air and dropped it in the cart.

"I can cultivate personality, too. I'm funny." Brennan had to defend herself, even though she knew deep down that he really was the expert on this particular subject.

He nodding his head sarcastically, "Yes, of course you are."

"I am." She pushed him in the shoulder, turned and grabbed the cart to continue down the aisle.

"Absolutely, I'm actually working very hard to hold the belly splitting laughter in right now." He said as he kissed her in the side of her head. They walked down the rest of the aisle and turned. "Ok so… there are a couple of other things that we're missing in the fun department."

"And those are? " Brennan replied. She stopped the cart and tried with no success to squeeze between it and the shelf to reach a play mat.

"The kid's got to be introduced to the joy of sports. I think I saw a baby's first basketball and hockey set on aisle 2," he said grinning from ear to ear.

Brennan sighed, "Go…"

With a joyful, bounce in his step, he quickly turned on his heel and took off toward the front of the store. As he sped by aisle 4, he spun to dodge a cart and two toddlers, and caught a glimpse of something familiar. He stopped and backed up to take a second look. Immediately, he wished he hadn't. Hannah was standing in the aisle engrossed in thumbing through a book with a large elephant on the cover. Before he could run, she looked up and saw him.

"Wow…" she said, putting the book down. She walked towards him and smiled. "Hi Seeley…"

"Hi Hannah, how are you?" Apart from one letter she'd sent about how sorry she was, he hadn't seen or heard from her since she'd packed her stuff and left. He'd assumed she was jetting all over the globe following the stories she was most passionate about at the moment.

"I'm good. And you?"

"Good. What are you doing here?"

"Oh… my sister is having a baby. I decided to swing in and get a book for her before I go back out of town. It's really good to see you."

"Same here. I hope everything's going well. You look happy." He said. He truly hoped she was. She'd actually done him a favor when she walked away. She'd opened the door for him to be where he belonged. He was infinitely more happy now than he would have been if she hadn't had the strength to say no.

"I am, Seeley. Are you?"

Before he could answer, he heard Brennan's voice around the corner. She was talking to Hodgins about some lab results. "But the decay around the femur break wouldn't support her being dead less than two weeks…" She said, as she turned the corner with the cart. When she saw Hannah, she immediately stopped and cut the conversation short. "Just see what you can find and have Angela run it through the computer. Got to go." She closed the cell phone. "Hannah?"

"Temperance! It's so good to see you!"

"You too?" Brennan replied, shooting a quick look at Booth.

"I should have known you wouldn't be far away. What are you guys here for? Going undercover as parents? What's the story?"

"Well, we're not going undercover…" Brennan began stepping from behind the cart to unveil her round stomach.

"What? You're pregnant?" Hannah hugged her.

"Well to be exact, Hannah…WE'RE pregnant." Booth said looking at Brennan. "Some things have happened while you've been gone."

"Whoa… you guys are together?"

"Yes. We're together." Brennan said, examining Hannah for a reaction.

She stepped back a moment and considered the news. "I know this is going to shock you, but I'm glad."

"That is interesting…" Booth replied.

"No really… Something in the back of my mind always told me that I was only borrowing you. That's why I was fairly certain I wouldn't have to worry about you getting serious. Subconsciously, I think I knew you really loved her. Call it women's intuition."

"You never seemed worried."

"I wasn't, at least before you told me about your past and the request to have another chance."

"But I thought we were okay after that. You told me we were. Did you lie?" Brennan seemed genuinely concerned.

"No, Temperance. I didn't lie about that. I just knew he wasn't going to leave me no matter how bad he wanted to." She looked at Booth. "It's that damn stand up character he has."

Brennan was not enjoying this trip down memory lane. It was a painful time in her life that she didn't really care to revisit. She'd locked her feelings for Booth in so tight that she nearly broke into a million pieces when they started to leak out. His real, tangible rejection was the final blow that sent her spinning into several days of crying all night. Something she hadn't allowed herself to do since she was a kid in the system.

She changed the subject, "So what are you doing now? Where has the job taken you?"

Booth understood her motivation instantly. He didn't really want to be reminded of the pain of not being together either. He would replay that terrible five minutes in the car over and over in his mind until they were old and gray and never get over the pain he caused her.

"Here and there," Hannah replied. "I've actually been assigned to some really interesting stuff. Just came back from Greece."

"Wow, much more exciting than this traditional, domestic baby stuff," Booth replied.

"I don't know. That could be debated." She said, looking at her watch. "I've got to get on the road to make a plane. It was great seeing both of you. Really…" She hugged them and quickly walked down the rest of the aisle. When she got to the end, she suddenly turned. "I'm so happy for the both of you."

"Thanks, Hannah." Brennan smiled back, and grabbed Booth around his arm.

He leaned into her and put his hand on hers. "Yeah, don't be a stranger."

Hannah smiled again and turned on her heel to rush out of the store.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 12 – The Marriage Thing**_

"So I've been wondering…. What is marriage like?"

Angela had just put little Michael down in his crib after changing him into a cute black and white pajama set that had little guitars on it.

"What is marriage like?" She repeated.

"Yeah… I'm just curious." Brennan said. She and Angela had decided to institute a "girls night" every first Saturday of the month to make sure that babies and significant others didn't keep them from hanging out the way they used to.

"It's great…" Angela replied. She looked at her friend with a hint of confusion. "Why so curious?"

"I don't know. I've always wondered what the big deal was. I've never understood the significance of the piece of paper."

"Is this about Booth?"

"Actually no, he hasn't uttered a word about anything connected to marriage."

Angela sensed some annoyance in her answer and smiled.

"What was that I just heard in your voice? "

"What do you mean?" Brennan leaned over to pick one of Michael's little socks up from the floor.

"You're annoyed…"

"Annoyed? What would I be annoyed about?"

"Hmm… I don't know… maybe it has something to do with Booth not mentioning marriage."

"That doesn't make sense. I've never wanted to get married. I've told him that for years." She said leaning back in the chair.

"Right… and you're still a little shocked that he hasn't proposed."

"It is a little weird don't you think? I mean he says that he really hasn't loved anyone but me, yet he asked two women before me. I'm carrying his kid and he hasn't even really broached the subject." Brennan struggled to stand, but finally got enough leverage to push herself up.

"Has it crossed your mind that he hasn't talked about it because you don't want it?"

"I've changed my mind on other things, why not this?"

"Have you… changed your mind?" Angela looked down into the crib when she heard Michael's small snore. She sat the baby monitor next to him and ushered Brennan out of the room, closing the door behind them. They walked down the hallway into the living room.

"I don't know… maybe. It doesn't seem to have destroyed you and Hodgins."

"Far from that, I'd have to say. It's actually been the best decision I ever made. Ok…. So here's my opinion. I don't know why you wouldn't want to marry Booth. All he wants to do is make you happy. And he's not going anywhere."

"It's not that I'm so strongly opposed to it anymore. At least, not now that we've been living together."

"Then what is it? Why are you scared?"

"It's irrational, but I feel like marrying takes the last bit of my solo identity away."

"Funny. That's actually not crazy. I felt the same way in a way. When Hodgins asked me to marry him the first time, all I saw was my identity as free spirited 'Angela' being replaced by 'someone's wife'."

"How did you get over it?"

"I didn't. Being without him made me realize how much better I was with him. So I wasn't going to lose myself I was going to become a better version. Does that make sense?"

Brennan tilted her head and considered the statement. She was better with Booth. He made her see things that she normally wouldn't pay attention to. He'd brought joy, laughter, friendship and love into her life. She smiled.

"Actually it makes perfect sense, Ang. I'm glad we talked. For not having a very high IQ, you are extremely wise."

Angela chuckled. "Thanks… I think."

"Can we take a rain check on our movies for this evening? There's something that I need to do."


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13 – Forever **_

Brennan entered their dark apartment and slid her shoes off. It was quiet but she knew Booth would still be awake. He never went to sleep, unless she was safely in the bed tucked in next to him. When she got to six months, he protested more and more about her going out without him, but she was stubborn and still wanted to hold on to some of the independence she had left. The negotiation included her texting him when she was on the way home so he knew exactly when to expect her, and could immediately send a search party out.

She looked across the room at the sliver of light coming from the bedroom, and gathered her thoughts. It was important to her that she did this right. She took a deep breath and waddled to the door. When she opened it, she saw Booth in the light of the TV curled up on one side.

"Hey…" He said turning to lie on his back and look at her.

He was beautiful to her. Every curve of his chest and contour of his face was perfect. Sometimes, she even found herself forgetting to breathe when he looked at her with such love. She couldn't figure out exactly how she ended up being so lucky.

"Hey…" She walked to the closet, pulled her clothes off and put on her pajamas. Then, she walked over to kiss him. "What have you been doing all night?"

"Oh… a little of this, a little of that, " he said as a crooked smile creeped up his face. "Did you have fun with Angela?"

"I did. Michael is such a little handful," she smiled, sat down on the bed and ran her hand across her torso. "I hope you're ready."

"Can't wait," he reached out and slid his fingers through hers.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

"Anything," he said sitting up so he could lean back on the headboard.

"First, I feel like I need to tell you something that I'm not sure you really know," she began reaching out to run her hand across his cheek. She scooted closer and looked deep into his eyes. "I love you. It's real. It's solid. And it's not going anywhere. I needed to tell you that because I know I haven't said it."

Booth smiled, lightly grabbed the hand on his cheek and kissed her palm, "As I do you, but you know I…"

"Wait. I'm not finished yet," she put her finger across his lips to silence him. "I know your presence in my life has given me more gifts than I can count including this one that is sitting on my bladder at the moment."

Booth chuckled, but remained silent.

She continued, "I've never wanted to spend my life with someone. It's foreign to me. I wasn't raised in a world that included long term relationships. I trained myself not to get attached as a foster kid, and as a scientist, I trained myself to never get attached to a hypothesis. Depending on how the facts presented themselves, the end result could always change."

"I know, Bones…" he said rubbing his thumb across her hand.

"Booth, you have immeasurable patience. Any other man would have given up. You waited until I finally came around. And you're still waiting now. "

Booth looked at her with confusion, but again remained silent, he was sure she would clear things up soon.

"Marry me," she said looking into his eyes. "…I want to spend my life with you."

Booth's face lit up and huge grin spread across it, "Are you serious?"

"Yes. Angela helped me see something today. The root of my fear of marriage was about me losing myself. I know now that I lost myself when I met you. You improved the original… if you know what I mean. I'm better with you, than I ever was without you."

Booth jumped to his knees in the bed and leaned down to kiss her slowly.

"You're really serious. You'll marry me?"

"Absolutely. With no hesitation," she said holding on to his face.

"Hold on…" Booth put his feet on the floor and hurried into the closet. About two minutes later, he appeared with a velvet box in his hand. "This is going to sound funny, but I've wanted to do this since the first day I met you in that lecture hall."

Brennan chuckled, "You didn't even know me then…"

"Yeah, but I told you this before… I knew…"

A quick wave of sadness hit Brennan as she remembered that night outside of the office. She wasn't ready to hear him then. And she'd hurt him so badly.

Booth read her face, "Stop it. That's over. We're here now. We might have even needed that to happen to get here. Happy thoughts…"

She nodded in agreement and re-focused her attention on the present. Booth moved in front of her and she automatically reached for the box.

"Umm no," he playfully pulled it away. "You know me. I have to do this right." He squatted down to get on one knee. "Man…I'm old…" he said as he heard a pop. Brennan smiled.

"Temperance Brennan, love of my life, will you marry me?" He said opening the box to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring circled by small emeralds. Brennan sat still and didn't move. He immediately worried she'd changed her mind in the two minutes it took for him to actually find the ring he'd been holding on to. He was 0 and 2 in marriage proposal acceptances at this point, so it wasn't hard to believe that he might get another rejection, even though he wasn't expecting it.

A tear rolled down her cheek and she took a deep breath, "Yes…. wow… " she paused as she realized the importance of the moment. "I'd love to be your wife."

Booth froze for a moment. The words hit him like a ton of bricks. She said yes. He tried to fight a wave of emotion as his eyes moistened. He carefully slid the ring out of the box and gently took her hand. When the ring was in place, he looked at it and blinked away disbelief. His ring was definitely on her finger. This feisty, beautiful, stubborn, brilliant, unique woman had agreed to be his forever. He kissed her hand, lifted her from the bed into his arms, and placed kisses all over her face.

Brennan laughed with joy, and kissed him back. He stopped suddenly and stared at her.

"What?" she said searching his face.

"I can't believe you said yes…" A slow smile spread across his face again and he bent to kiss her lips.

"Believe it…" she replied softly as she nuzzled into his neck. "I don't know why it took me so long."

"Let's do it tomorrow."

"No wedding? That's not like you…"

"I don't care about any of it. I just want to call you Mrs. Booth." He slowly turned and guided her into the bed. She carefully crawled in first and grabbed her body pillow. When they were both in, he threw the covers over them and curled his body around her.

"Do you really want to do it tomorrow?" she said after a long silence.

"I will if that's what you want."

"I think I want the wedding." She said turning slightly to look up into his eyes. "Is it ok with you to wait until the little one is born?" she rubbed her stomach.

"Of course, I just don't want to wait much longer than that. I can't wait to be your husband."

She smiled again, and snuggled into him.

"By the way," he whispered as they both drifted to sleep. "Remember when I said you'd marry me eventually? Guess my dreams have come true…"

**THE END**


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